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PERSONAL EXPERIENCES 

IN THE ■ • ^ 

CIViL/WAR ; ^ 

BY 

FREDERICK TOMLINSON PEET 



WITH THE SEVENTH NEW YORK REGIMENT 
Private in Co. H, April 18th— June 3rd, 1861 



WITH FIRST (BERDAN'S) SHARP-SHOOTERS 
Second Lieutenant op Co. H, August 1st, 1861— July 8nd, 1862 



PRISONER TO THE CONFEDERATES 
JULY 1st— July 18th, 1862 



IN THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS 
SECOND Lieutenant, June 14th, 1862— August 31st, 1864 
First Lieutenant, September 1st, 1864— August 28th, 1869 



fifty copies — privately printed 

New York 
1905 




^^s. 0/!ve^ //. O^^^T^ 



^7. 



PREFATORY NOTE. 

After much urging I have persuaded my 
uncle to write these Recollections of his army 
life, which I print, not so mvich as adding to 
the history of the period, though they are not 
without value for that, but mainly because of 
the personal interest in them which will be felt 
by all his relatives and friends. Such records 
should be cherished in the family for many 
generations. 

I have added in foot-notes a few quotations 
from letters, etc., which explain, or add inter- 
est to, the narrative. R. T. 

New York, March, 1905. 



INTRODUCTION. 

THE BREAKING OUT OF THE WAR. 

The causes which led to the War of the 
Rebellion are too well known to be referred to 
by me, but there were peculiarities of the situ- 
ation which readers of history may not thor- 
oughly appreciate : such was the intense 
bitterness of feeling between the two political 
parties, beginning many years before, and in- 
creasing in intensity until the election of 
Buchanan and the defeat of Fremont in 1856, 
and the election of Lincoln in i860. 

The Democratic party of the North espoused 
the cause of the Slaveholders of the South, and 
were apparently as fierce in their hatred of the 
Abolitionists as were those south of "Mason 
and Dixon's" line ; and even in the Whig and 
Republican parties, before '61, to be called an 



ii INTRODUCTION. 

"Abolitionist" was oftcu a term of reproach. 
I have known the time, in Brooklyn, during 
the Kansas troubles, when the Rev. Henry 
Ward Beecher's platform in Plymouth Church 
was guarded by members of his church, armed 
with revolvers, to protect him from a threat- 
ened attack, and this during Divine service, as 
I remember it. To show how long this state 
of affairs had been growing, I will give an 
instance in which my father had a part, taken 
from the Brooklyn Eagle : 

" It was early in the '30s, not long after the 
riots in New York (sometimes called the 
Abolition Riots, caused by the opposition of 
many to the teachings of Dr. Cox and others, 
seeking to abolish slavery, when the commu- 
nit}' was in a feverish state upon an3-thing 
like abolition or favoring the colored people), 
that at the anniversary of the Sunday Schools 
of Brooklyn, the School of St. Ann's Church 



INTRODUCTION. iii 

marclied to the place of assembly, and at the 
end of the procession of girls, before the col- 
umn of boys, came two large classes of colored 
girls. Immediately the committee in charge 
called upon the Superintendent, Mr. Frederick 
T. Peet, and said that it would never do to have 
those colored girls march in the procession of 
white scholars, and before the white boys, and 
insisted that they should march with the col- 
ored Schools which were then coming on the 
ground. The reply of Mr. Peet was, ' They 
are members of our School, they sit and wor- 
ship with us on Sundays; St. Ann's can leave 
the procession and return to its own church, 
but those who worship with us on Sundays 
shall walk with us on week days.' " 

In 1855 I entered the Military Academy of 
Mr. Marlborough Churchill, at Sing Sing, 
N. Y., and graduated in 1858. I was then 



INTRODUCTION. 



seventeen j^ears of age, and well drilled in 
military matters, as far as the schools of the 
company and battalion were concerned. 

The rnmbling of the coming storm found 
my immediate family strong adherents of 
the Free Soil policy, as represented b}' Fre- 
mont and Da3-ton, and Lincoln and Hamlin. 
They were not extreme Abolitionists — per- 
haps not Abolitionists in any sense — but they 
believed that the Territories of our country 
were for free men, as the country as a whole 
was free and slaver}^ only local. 

After the election of Lincoln, in i860, came 
the secession of South Carolina and other 
States. Then all eyes turned to Fort Sumter, 
where the gallant Anderson held the fort. 

The "Star of the West," sent with re- 
cruits and provisions to Major Anderson, was 
fired on by the rebels, January 9th, 1861, and 
forced to return. This was the first shot in 



INTRODUCTION. 



the war, and the North sprang to its feet, real- 
izing at last that war was inaugurated. The 
crowds around the bulletin boards of the Post^ 
Times, Tribtine, and Herald were immense. 
I remember how excited I felt when I read of 
their firing on the Old Flag. 



WITH THE SEVENTH REGIMENT 
AT WASHINGTON. 

The Seventh. Regiment, N. G. S. N. Y., the 
crack militia regiment, was ordered to Wash- 
ington when it became known that the Sonth 
Carolina troops had fired upon Fort Sum- 
ter. In Company H was my cousin, Henry 
W. Hubbell (who is, at the time I write, a 
Colonel in the U. S. Artillery, and soon to be 
Brigadier-General). April i8, 1861, five days 
after the first bombardment of Sumter, I en- 
listed in that company, and on the next day we 
started for Washington. 

Under command of Col. Lefferts, we left 
the armory and marched down Broadway en 
route for the Capitol. The ovation was inspir- 
ing ; Broadway was blocked with a crowd so 



2 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

large and demonstrative that the band could 
scarcely be heard. 

I remember seeing some old gentlemen in 
front of the regiment, marching ahead of the 
band, and trying to help the police clear the 
street. All Broadway was a mass of cheering 
spectators, and flags were waving from most 
of the windows ; it was an experience not to be 
forgotten. At Jersey City, while waiting to 
board the cars, another ovation met us ; men 
and women shouting and waving handker- 
chiefs, some giving praj'er-books, and Bibles, 
and bouquets, and some ladies throwing their 
handkerchiefs to the boys. One pretty little 
girl gave me a red, white and blue rosette, 
which I have just found, some 43 years after, 
in one of my letters. 

That evening, a few hours after leaving 
Jersey Cit}', a man came down the aisle of the 
car, holding a telegraph message aloft and 



WITH THE SEVENTH REGIMENT. 3 

shouting my name. I took the message, and 
found it to be from my brother William, 
telling us that the Sixth Massachusetts Regi- 
ment, which had started ahead of us for 
Washington, had been attacked in going 
through Baltimore, and many had been killed. 
This was the first many of us had heard of it, 
and we naturally expected a repetition of the 
riot. Fortunately, however, we were not sent 
through Baltimore, but took the steamer 
" Boston," at Philadelphia, April 20th, for An- 
napolis. She would accommodate 700, and 
our regiment was full; and so closely 
packed were we, that I think I never up to 
that time had passed such miserable and 
uncomfortable nights. The weather, fortu- 
nately, was perfect. Of course, the rations 
were not all we could wish, but in those days 
we expected hard work and rough times ; and 
salt horse, as it was called, with black coffee 



4 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

and hardtack, and waiting an hour in line to 
get it, was taken with thankfnlness if not 
with relish. 

We reached Annapolis in two da5'S, and 
as we came into the harbor we saw a 
steamboat agronnd, and on it was General 
Butler drilling the Eighth Massachusetts 
Regiment. No time was being lost on that 
boat b}- inaction. That afternoon we landed. 
I was a wreck. I had not slept since leaving 
New York, and I can never forget m}- relief 
when the Sergeant ignored me in making up 
the guard for the night. 

April 24th we started out for our march to 
the " Junction." The night was beautiful. 
For a while I eujo^-ed the new experience, but 
as the hours passed, and ni}- feet swelled in 
my new boots, pleasure merged into weariness 
and weariness into torture. It seemed as if 
I had been marching all m}- life. I had not 



WITH THE SEVENTH REGIMENT. J 

liad a good night's rest since leaving home, 
and before we reached the Junction it really 
seemed to me I had gone partly crazy. I have 
had some good long tramps since then, but I 
never suffered as I did that afternoon and 
night. I think the distance was twenty miles. 
I, as most of the regiment, was totally unused 
to hard work of any kind. I am sure that I 
did not suffer so much when, later, I was 
wounded and supposed to be dying. As the 
last mile was tramped, about five in the 
morning, I could hardly stand on my feet. 
But the Junction was reached, and soon we 
were en route by train for Washington. 

On our arrival, April 25th, we were posted 
at the Capitol, in the Hall of Representatives. 
I slept on the Speaker's desk, having for 
my bed some damask curtains and Brussels 
carpets I had found in an adjoining room. 

On April 26th we were sworn into the 



6 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVU. WAR. 

United States service for thirty days, by 
General AIcDowell. 

The Capitol at that time was in a panic. 
The Sixth Massachusetts Regiment, which 
was mobbed in Baltimore, was the first, and 
we and the Eighth Massachusetts Regiment 
the next, to enter the cit}'. The rebel flag 
could be plainh' seen flying in Alexandria, 
and before we arrived the rebs were in evi- 
dence, and the Union men did not know how 
soon the}- might take possession of the city. 

So we were welcomed in proportion to 
the fears of a rebel occupation. Our coming 
cleared the atmosphere, and the people saw 
that the North meant to hold the city at all 
costs. Day by da}'^ the troops poured in, until 
Washington was a great militar}- camp. The 
streets were cut up b}- artiller}- and cavalrj', 
which were camped, for the most part, a mile 
or so outside the cit3\ 



WITH THE SEVENTH REGIMENT. J 

Our regiment, later, also was camped 
outside the city, on 14th Street, "Camp 
Cameron " it was called after the Secretary of 
War. Our drills and parades called out the 
youth and beauty of the city, for we were in 
the pink of condition, well uniformed, and 
well drilled, with a superb band. 

In the evening of May 2 2d we were ordered 
to be ready to march at a moment's notice. 
Rations were served, and forty rounds of 
ammunition. The rumor that Alexandria was 
to be occupied was in the air, and we 
expected to take the lead. As it turned out, 
Ellsworth's Zouaves had the honor ; they went 
by boat. 

At I o'clock, A. M., on May 24th, we 
assembled and marched through the city, and 
I remember how still and white the sleeping 
city looked. As we came to Long Bridge we 
passed a battery of regular artillery, drawn up 

[3] 



8 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

to command the approaches from the south. 
It was commanded by an officer who, a few 
days later, resigned and went south. He was 
probably ready to turn the guns on us, if 
circumstances had turned out differently. 

Well, we tramped across the bridge, and soon 
were on the sacred soil of Virginia. We 
halted a few miles this side of Alexandria. I 
remember taking some rails from the zigzag 
fence and leaning them against the lower 
rail, and dozing off until awakened by the 
approach of a horse on the run. I raised up, 
and as the man passed he shouted out, 
"Alexandria taken and Ellsworth shot ! " 

I do not remember whether we went any 
further, but know that we all took a hand in 
building one of the forts outside of Washing- 
ton, and that the Chaplain handled a shovel 
with the best of us. 

We later returned to Washington, and 



WITH THE SEVENTH REGIMENT. 9 

on May 31st went home to New York, where, 
on June 3rd, we were mustered out of the 
United States service. 




AS A SHARP-SHOOTER. 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS IN 
THE PENINSULA CAMPAIGN. 

WOUNDED AND A PRISONER. 

After the return of the Seventh Regiment 
I made application for a Lieutenancy in a vol- 
unteer regiment of infantry which was being 
organized up the State. Gov. Morgan was 
a business partner of my brother-in-law, Mr. 
John T. Terry, and would have obtained for 
me the desired position, but I heard that the 
regiment had been changed from infantry to 
heavy artillery, and so dropped the matter as 
far as that regiment was concerned. 

The terrible Battle of Bull Run was fought 
and lost July 31, 1861. 

It is difl&cult for me to give you to-day an 
adequate idea of the gloom, dismay, and 



12 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

despair which settled over the North that 
night. 

I remember the faces of those on the street 
and on the ferry-boat ; they looked as if they 
had been bereft in their dearest family ties. 
Personally, I felt that nothing now was left 
me but to go at once to the front, if not as an 
officer, then as a private. I intended to enlist 
the next day, for I imagined, of course, that 
Washington would be taken, probably Balti- 
more and Philadelphia, and possibly New York. 

Fortunatel}^, in the morning affairs looked 
better. Washington was still in our hands, 
and we all took a great breath of relief, were 
thankful it was no worse, and with renewed 
hope and determination set our faces again 
to the task of saving the Union. 

Some little while after, I was coming from 
New York one morning, and met Mr. George 
G. Hastings on the bridge over Montague 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. I3 

Street. We stopped for a chat, when he asked 
me what I was doing. I told him I was wait- 
ing to get a Lieutenancy in the army. He 
said he was raising a company of Sharp- 
shooters for Colonel Berdan's regiment ; had 
a First Lieutenant, and offered me the position 
of Second Lieutenant. I accepted on the spot. 

His company, partly formed, was camped at 
Weehawken Heights, in New Jersey, and a 
few days after I reported for duty. 

The regiment was formed of companies 
from many States ; four from New York, three 
from Michigan, one from New Hampshire, 
one from Vermont, and one from Wisconsin. 
Ours was Company H, from New York State. 

They were a fine lot of men and well 
officered. Captain Hastings and William W. 
Winthrop, the First Lieutenant, were lawyers 
by profession. Captain Hastings having 
studied law in the office of my brother 



14 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

William. His home was ou the southwest 
corner of Pierrepont and Hicks streets, Brook- 
lyn, so we were near neighbors ; my home 
being on Columbia Heights, between Clark 
and Pierrepont streets, on the river side, and 
I will state here that the place was bought by 
my father in 1828, of a Mr. Codwise, for ten 
thousand dollars ; the lot was sixty feet front, 
and ran from Columbia to Furman street. 
Some years before I was born, the house was 
made a double one, and the family occupied it 
until a few 3'ears ago, living in it some sixt}^ 
odd years. 

I found Mr. Winthrop a man of exceptionally 
fine character, and I deemed myself fortunate 
in being associated with such company offi- 
cers. I was soon ordered to Glens Falls and 
Cooperstown on recruiting duty. 

I was fairly successful, and on m}' reti:rn, 
about November i, 1862, our company, which 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 15 

was about full, was ordered to Washington. 
On our arrival there we found the other com- 
panies of the regiment camped about a 
mile out on Fourteenth or Fifteenth Street. 
Our men were a fine lot and all good shots, 
as they were obliged to make a string of 
thirty inches in ten shots at two hundred 
yards with their rifles ; an average of three 
inches from centre of bullseye. At first, most 
all came with their target rifles, which later 
were changed to Colt's breech-loading rifles, and 
later to Sharp's, and I think we were the first 
regiment in any army to use breech-loaders. 

Our life at Washington was a round of 
drills and instruction. Later the Second 
Regiment was formed, we being the First 
United States Sharp-Shooters, and received as 
such by the United States, although after- 
wards each State received credit for its quota 
of Sharp-Shooters. 

I-M 



l6 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

About this time I made up my mind to try 
to get a Lieutenancy in the Regular Service. I 
first thought of the Army, but later decided to 
try for the Uuited States Marines. I was 
greatly indebted to Governor Morgan, and to 
my brother, Mr. Terry, for their kindness in 
the matter. My cousin, Edward H. Wright, 
son of Senator Wright, of New Jersey, helped 
me much at this time. He was a gallant 
soldier, first served as Aide-de-camp on General 
Scott's staff, and then on staff of General 
McClellau. I was greatly indebted to him 
for his kindness then in Washington, and 
later, when friends were needed and I a pris- 
oner at Richmond. 

While in camp at Washington I was, with 
the rest of the regiment, sworn into the 
United States service, January i, 1862, for 
three years. 

Waiting in Washington was tedious, but 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. \^ 

at last, in the Spring of 1862, we received 
marcliing orders, and with the rest of the 
army marched, on March 19th, into Virginia. 
We stopped at Alexandria long enough to see 
the hotel in which Ellsworth was shot, and to 
see the slave pens, etc., and then camped some 
miles to the south. 

I remember an Irish soldier — who was a 
little under the influence of liquor — was 
going to shoot me, as he said I was an aristo- 
crat; he was a straggler from one of the 
volunteer regiments camped some miles 
further south. 

On March 2 2d the army took boats for Fort 
Monroe and the Peninsula. After a delight- 
ful trip on the transport " Emperor," we 
arrived safely, and our division was camped 
at Hampton, March 25th. It was a sleepy, 
historic old place, where I enjoyed the beauti- 
ful Spring weather, the strawberries and 



l8 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

oysters, and was as happy in my new life as 
youth, health and a fairly good conscience 
could make me. 

Lieutenant Winthrop was a brother of Theo- 
dore Winthrop, author of '' John Brent," 
"Cecil Dream," "Love on Skates," etc., who 
at the beginning of the war was one of the 
most promising young American writers of 
the day. He had gone South the year before 
under General Butler, and been killed at a 
fight at Big Bethel, a place some ten miles or 
more from Hampton. Winthrop told me that 
when, under flag of truce, he went to get his 
brother's body, he met a Confederate officer 
who apologized for being in the infantry, as 
it was the ambition of the young Virginians 
to be in the cavalry.* 



*A letter of this period describes his first encounter with 

the enemy. 

Camp Porter, near Hampton, 
March 30. 1863. 
.... Our men have been on picket duty every day and 
night since our arrival. We are used only as Sharp-Shooters; 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. I9 

At this time we were in General Martin- 
dale's Brigade of Porter's Division of 
Heintzelman's Corps. 

On April 4th the army began to move 
toward Yorktown. We again took the lead. 
Our march to Big Bethel was a repetition of 
our reconuoisance, only this time we had 
80,000 to 90,000 men instead of 8,000 or 
10,000. About noon, April 5th, some miles 
beyond Big Bethel, we came to an open space 
devoid of trees, and I saw ahead of me a 



two or three are stationed with each group of pickets, ready 
to shoot. 

Wednesday night we were awakened at twelve o'clock, and 
ordered to pick twenty men for duty and report at six o'clock 
with one day's cooked rations. Our men, with those from 
the other companies, made some 150 Sharp-Shooters. It 
proved to be a reconnoissance in force. Our men were divided 
into two parties, to lead the two divisions of 5,000 men each. 
At nine o'clock we took the lead, each division on a different 
road for Big Bethel. 

Our company had the left wing. We skirted the woods, 
beat the woods, traveled through swamps, got wet, dried 
again, still saw no rebels. Our men did not give out, though 
they were not relieved all day. Were ordered to search a 
house, but found nothing contraband. We reached Big Bethel 
at twelve o'clock, but the rebels had left. Our men were first 
in the ramparts, and had the fun of shooting a rebel horse- 
man. We, with some cavalry, pushed several miles further 
on ; had some good shots and killed a few. Our men behaved 
well, and received the praises of the General. ... I suppose 
no man in the army marched as much as I did that day ; it 
was certainly tweuty-eight or thirty miles. 



20 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

number of horsemen. At first we did not 
know who they were, for our own cavalry 
might have been ahead of lis. As we showed 
up they made signs to us ; but I thought a 
shot or so would tell the tale, and I ordered 
the men to open fire. At the first discharge 
the horsemen threw themselves on the off- 
side of their horses and galloped away. 

Our fire had been heard by those in the 
rear, and soon the head of the column came 
up on the double quick. Just then I heard 
the long roll sounded, and discovered what I 
had failed to see before — quite an earthwork 
off to our right. As the oflScers and troops 
came up, we were withdrawn from the front. 
General Porter ordered the regiments formed, 
but on their approach the Confederates evac- 
uated the fort, and we continued our march 
towards Yorktown. 

The next day, in the morning, we passed 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 21 

several old camps of the enemy, and before I 
was aware of our proximity to Yorktown, I 
heard a gun off to our right, and found we 
had reached the object of our march. York- 
town was before us, and as far as we could see 
to the right and left extended a line of fortifi- 
cations, which commenced firing. I remember 
seeing one of the projectiles distinctly, coming 
toward us. It seemed to me it was going to 
hit me in the ear. It was tumbling over and 
over. Ahead of me and about fifty feet away 
were two or three officers or soldiers, and the 
projectile was about to cut one of them in 
two when the man dropped on his knees, and 
it passed within a foot of his head and buried 
itself in the ground, and fortunately did not 
explode. It was a lucky escape. 

Our regiment was at once sent to the front, 
and we occupied ourselves in firing at the 
men working the guns on the fortifications. 



22 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

Later Company H was withdrawn and kept 
in reserve in a little hollow some two hundred 
yards to the rear. Later in the afternoon, 
some of the men, against orders, lighted a 
fire ; the smoke drew the enemy's fire. 
First a ricochet shot, which skipped over us ; 
then came a shell, which wounded some men 
and killed one of the best men of my com- 
pany. I had the body carried to the rear and 
read the burial service over him and buried 
him then and there. 

During the siege our regiment was camped 
with the army, a mile or so to the rear, and 
every few days it was my turn to take twenty 
Sharp-Shooters and spend the day in the rifle- 
pits well out to the front. 

On April nth I was in charge of my 
twenty men and was in the rifle-pits, which 
were near the road running to Yorktown. On 
the left of the road was a farm-house, out- 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 23 

buildings and peach orcliard, our pits being 
some hundred feet or so ahead of the orchard, 
and extending to the left for say six hun- 
dred or eight hundred feet. During the 
morning I visited the rifle-pits, making good 
time between them under fire of the rebel 
pickets. We amused ourselves by firing at 
the enemy in their rifle-pits, and on the fortifi- 
cations, or behind the curtain of earth which 
connected the several forts. It worried them. 
Once I took one of the target rifles and tried 
my luck at some men I could easily see. It 
was a telescopic rifle, and I found it difiicult to 
hold it steadily ; the cross on the end of the 
glass moved about with every breath I drew. 
I must have come fairly close to them, for a 
reply came in the shape of a projectile from a 
small rifled cannon, and passed just over my 
head and went through the house in the rear. 
At this time I could see a movement of troops 

[51 



24 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

in front of me in the fortifications, and I sur- 
mised that some movement of the enemy was 
to be expected. There had been heavy firing 
on the picket lines, both left and right, all the 
afternoon. I sent a man to the rear asking 
for reinforcements, but neither the man nor 
troops came. I sent again, with a more urgent 
report, and later heard that the reserves had 
been sent to both mj' flanks and there was no 
more to give me. 

At this time old California Joe, one of our 
Sharp-Shooters, came straggling in, and told 
me of an attack on my right. Our position 
was a bad one. We were way ahead of our 
line of pickets, and isolated ; on our right 
and left was a long stretch of country ; in fact, 
I never saw any connecting pickets on either 
side. Behind us, and say five hundred yards, 
and to the right of the road, were two guns 
with a slight embankment in front of them. 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 25 

under charge of a Sergeant. I think they 
were part of a regular battery ; they had been 
exchanging shots with the Confederates all 
day. 

Soon after hearing the report of California 
Joe I got up on the rifle-pit to see if I could, 
with the help of my glass, find out what the 
rebs were about. To my surprise, I saw a 
large force had left their intrenchments and 
were coming up on the double-quick. I at 
once gave orders to open fire. At our first 
discharge the rebs opened fire with their big 
guns, and some shots passed quite near me. 
I was standing on the top of the pits, and had 
a good view, Avhen, to my surprise, I saw the 
left of my line had abandoned their pits and 
were making good time to the rear. The 
reason was apparent. The rebs were flanking 
them, and it was all the}' could do to escape 
capture. Of course, we followed, having noth- 



26 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

iug else to do. We fell back a couple of fields. 
At this time the Sergeant in charge of the 
guns on our right approached, and asked who 
was in command. I told him I was, and he 
said if we fell back further his guns might 
be in danger. So I halted the men along 
the road and at right angles behind the 
the fences. By this time the enemy had 
possession of our rifle pits, and it seemed to 
me there must have been a regiment of them. 
I saw some field officers on horseback, and 
taking a rifle from one of the Pennsylvania 
men, I fired at one of them, but the arm was 
a clumsy Belgian gun, and I missed. 

The firing was now brisk. All my men were 
lying down, and firing as fast as possible. The 
balls came like bees. I fancy I got my share 
of attention, for I was standing up, the only 
figure to be seen. Musket balls never seemed 
to scare me, while shell and cannon shot 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. V] 

always made me feel like dodging. Our 
shots soon brought a regiment, the Sixty- 
third Pennsylvania, under Colonel Hayes. 
On their arrival the fire slackened, and I 
asked the Colonel to go ahead and retake the 
pits. His reply was: " There they are, boys — 
fire!" As they were in column of company, 
all they could do was to break ranks and join 
my men at the fence. They poured in a lot 
of lead, but he did not advance, and the rifle- 
pits were never taken back until we took 
Yorktown. 

While at Yorktown, about April 20th, 
orders came for me from the Secretary of the 
Navy, to report at once to headquarters of the 
United States Marine Corps at Washington, 
for examination for a Second Lieutenancy. Our 
men had only lately been paid off, and hearing 
I was going North, wished to take the oppor- 
tunity offered of sending some of their pay 



28 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

to their families. So it turned out I started 
North with several thousand dollars in my 
satchel. No one interfered, and I .sent the 
several amounts to their destinations. 

I reported at Washington — had onl}' one 
night to book up, but managed to pass my 
examination. 

I spent the night of April 24th at my home 
in Brooklyn, and was soon en route back to 
Yorktown. I remember spending Sunday at 
Baltimore, and attended service in the morn- 
ing. When it was over, I stood on the steps 
of the church to see the celebrated Baltimore 
beauties. Some of the ladies as they passed 
me stepped aside and drew in their dresses. 
One remarked : "I reckon he will be greener 
before he gets back." I was dressed in my 
green uniform, which showed service, and a 
nice-looking young officer I was, I doubt not. 

After my return to the regiment, April 28th, 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 29 

our duty went on as visual. Our trenches 
were about completed, and the fire from them 
was continuous. All the night of May 3-4 
the roar of the cannon was unusually heavy. 
Early in the morning of the 4th our Sergeant- 
major, being on the picket-line, saw a man 
coming in. He proved to be a deserter, and 
reported Yorktown evacuated. The General 
was so pleased with our Sharp-Shooters that 
he gave them permission to go into Yorktown 
at once, and we were the first over the fortifi- 
cations.* 

On May i8th we embarked on steamer 
" State of Maine,'' and proceeded up the York 
River to West Point. Being delayed there some 
days on account of bad roads, stormy weather. 



*In a letter dated that day — Sunday, May 4th, 1863 — after 
describing the taking ot Yorktown as above, he says: "A 
rebel cavalry ofiicer reported that during the fight of April 
5th our men shot all but eight of one company, and our 
bullets fell so thick upon a camp half a mile within their 
intrenchments that they were obliged to move off, and that 
we are regarded with the utmost fear and horror. Hurrah for 
the Sharp-Shooters !" 



30 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

etc., we reached New Bridge, on the 
Chickahominy, May 2ist, and thought our- 
selves fairly on the way to Richmond.* 

Our army was separated by the river, we 
being on the right flank, north of the river. 
General Sumner's Corps being next on our 
left on the south side. At this time we be- 



*He thus describes this journey in a letter written a few 
days later : 

In Camp at Harker's Mills, 
"Twelve Miles from Richmond," 
May 34, 1H63. 

.... We left White House about 5 A. ai. on Tuesday, and 
arrived at Tunsall's Station at Vi o'clock. Here we encamped 
for the night in a dismal rain storm. We remained two 
nights and one day. The country about there is perfectly 
enchanting. There are little hills, deep ravines and rich 
meadows. 

You would be surprised if you could see the regiment 
marching along, seemingly in good order, and at the word 
"Halt!" being given, see them disappear in the woods to 
obtain a minute's rest and coolness, for when marching the 
hot sun is perfectly .scorching. It seems almost to knock one 
down. 

Marching from Tunsall's Station, we marched some five 
miles that day, and encamped at Cypress Hill. Next day we 
struck tenls, and after a very thorough day's work, pitched 
our cani[) where we now are. Strawberries are only twelve 
cents a quart, and very good ones at that. Sweet potatoes 
never were better than those we have. They tuake up for our 
want of beef and pork. 

.... All day wc have heard cannon firing in the direction of 
Bottom's Hridge ; I don't suppose it amounts to much ; at most, 
only the shelling out of some rebels on the Chickahominy. 
Bottom's Bridge is some three or four miles from us, and also 
New Bridge, about the same distance in another direction. 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 3I 

longed to General Martindale's Brigade, of 
Morell's Division of Porter's Corps. 

A few days after our arrival, May 27th, 
we were ordered to be ready to march at an 
early hour, with rations and sixty rounds of 
cartridges. This meant business, and we 
were up before dawn. Our destination was 
Hanover Court House ; and after a march of 
some sixteen miles, the Sharp-Shooters 
skirmishing ahead of the Division, we arrived 
at an open place a few miles long and about 
half a mile broad. I remember, as we arrived 
at the head of the woods the Sharp-Shooters 
were halted. Soon an officer arrived with a 
brass field-piece, and unlimbered just beyond 
us a few feet ahead. I soon saw the reason, 
for on the ridge of ground running from 
right to left came a long line of gray-coats. 
They were marching from our right to our 
left. I saw the lieutenant sight the gun and 

[6] 



32 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

hold the lanyard in his hand, and wondered 
why he did not fire. But as the column 
reached a certain point he fired and we rushed 
forward, but the enemy had dropped behind 
the ridge and disappeared in the woods to the 
left. 

Firing being heard on our right, near 
the Court House, we were hurried there, but 
too late to take part in the fight. Then we 
were double-quicked back, and as we passed 
the spot where we had seen the gun dis- 
charged I saw two dead men ; one had his 
leg cut off near the thigh as cleanly as if cut 
with a knife, and the other was lying with the 
face in his hands. We had no time to wait, 
and did all possible to join our troops on the 
extreme left. The musketrj^-firing was like a 
roll of thunder ; it must have been the last 
efforts of the Confederates before leaving. It 
seems that our troops had struck the 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 33 

enemy as they were leaving on the left, and a 
fierce fight was the result. 

We lost some men. Colonel Berdan had 
two horses shot under him. Our loss was 
considerable, but I suppose we had the most 
men, for we remained on the field. The 
Forty-fourth New York lost heavily. The 
Colonel, who was an old Seventh Regiment 
man, was badly wounded. 

It seems that General McClellan had heard 
that General Brant, of North Carolina, was 
marching to join Lee, and he sent General 
Porter to attack and capture him. 

Years afterwards, when dining with 
General Auchmuty, General Morell's Chief-of- 
Staff, he told me, in talking over the Hanover 
Court House fight, that he had been instructed 
by the General to order General Martindale to 
bring his brigade through the woods to our 
right, and report at the Court House. When 



34 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

he gave his orders General Martindale turned 
about and said : " I do not hear j^ou, sir ; I do 
not hear you," and refused to obey. He was 
sure the woods through which he was ordered 
to march were full of rebs, and, as it turned 
out later, he was right. No notice was taken 
of the disobedience to orders. 

I remember as we moved towards the 
Court House, we lost sight of one of our Sharp- 
shooters, a very handsome man, large, with a 
fine, flowing beard. He did not put in an ap- 
pearance until we were camped that night. 
His return was greeted with such comments 
by the men that he disappeared, and I never 
heard of him again ; he was a coward. When 
we were at Yorktown, General Porter said he 
did not blame a man for being afraid, but if 
he was, he had better go home. 

The march back to camp, near New* Bridge, 
was accomplished next day. While on the 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 35 

march we met tlie Sixth Regiment Cavalry, 
and I saw several of the regiment unhorsed 
in jumping a stream. It was some time before 
our cavalry was equal to that of the South, but 
it came about in time. 

After reaching camp on the Chickahominy, 
our life went on as usual ; picket duty every 
other day or so. The Confederate pickets 
were not over a couple of hundred yards dis- 
tant from us, and all our officers were ordered 
to put on a private's blouse and take a musket, 
as the orders from both sides were to fire only 
at officers. The butternut color of the South- 
ern soldiers' uniforms made it very difficult 
for us to see them. 

One day I was officer of the guard over the 
house and family of Dr. Gaines, a fierce rebel, 
who lived there with his wife. He had a 
fine vegetable garden. General McClellan 
gave him a guard to protect him and 



36 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

his belongings from our soldiers. The 
old doctor was very pompous, and would 
hardly deign to speak to any of the officers, but 
I heard that some one in his house had been 
signaling to the enemy, and I placed a sentry 
under his window, with orders to shoot the 
first man who attempted it again ; so he had 
no use for me. And when, in the morning, I 
saw our Chaplain coming from the house 
eating some soft bread, I asked Dr. Gaines if 
I could get some for myself, as I had had 
nothing but hardtack for months. He re- 
plied, with great dignit}^, that he knew 
nothing about such things, that Mrs. Gaines 
must be applied to. Mrs. Gaines was more 
agreeable, and gave me a treat in the shape of 
some rolls and good butter. Old Gaines told 
us he would dig up the bodies and legs of our 
soldiers buried in his garden, and throw them 
in the Chickahominy, after our departure. We 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 37 

heard that he later entertained the Confed- 
erate officers with the wine which we had 
guarded for him, a large stock of which was 
stored in his cellar. 

Our regiment was at this time scattered 
over the arm}^, and our company was ordered, 
May 31st, to General Sumner's Corps, on the 
south side of the river. Here we were on 
picket most of the time. I remember one 
day placing a picket at the nearest permanent 
picket point to Richmond, seven miles away. 
June nth. General " Jebb" (J. E. B.) Stuart 
made his celebrated raid around our army. 
Passing our right wing, he got well to the 
rear, destroyed our stores at White House, 
tore up railroads, passed behind us, and 
finally escaped into Richmond by passing 
our left flank. We had all the cavalry out, 
but he was too quick for us. 

General Prim, the Spanish General, came to 



38 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

see the army. My cousin, Colonel Wright, 
acted as interpreter. We were all drawn up 
in review, and when he came to the Sharp- 
shooters, he asked what those ragged fellows 
were. Our green clothes were prettj' well 
faded, but our rifles were in order. 

I remember the night of June 24th a 
number of our officers were in one of the small 
forts we had built to cover the front of the 
army, they being connected by a curtain of 
earth. The night was beautiful, and the 
rebel pickets were attacking all along the 
line. One of the officers said that if he had 
command he would attack that night ; that the 
noise in front was made to draw off our atten- 
tion from a movement contemplated b}' the 
rebs in another direction. The officer was 
right, for next da}' General Lee started to 
turn our right, and began the seven days' 
fight, which lasted until McClellan had placed 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 39 

his arm)' on the James River at Harrison's 
Landing. Stonewall Jackson was expected to 
help in the matter, but for some reason for 
once he failed to put in an appearance on 
time. He arrived, but a day or two late for 
the success of the Confederates. 

General IMcClellan's headquarters were not 
far off, and the next day I called on my cousin, 
Colonel Wright. He was in a big circular 
tent, with Colonel Marcy and Colonel Astor, 
of New York City. That day, June 25th, 
when returning to my company, I met Colonel 
Berdan, and he handed me a letter which con- 
tained my orders from Mr. Welles, Secretary 
of the Navy, to report at once for duty to 
Colonel Harris, Commandant of the United 
States Marine Corps at Washington, and 
notifying me that my commission as Second 
Lieutenant, United States Marine Corps, was 
in the hands of my brother in New York. 
[7] 



40 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

On hearing the contents of the letter, 
Colonel Berdan offered me a Captaincy if I 
would remain with the regiment, which I 
declined, and while we were talking the first 
guns of the seven days' fight were heard, way 
off on our right. I told the Colonel that while 
I would not give up my commission in the 
regulars, I would not leave the regiment while 
any fighting was going on ; so we parted. I 
sent in my resignation on my arrival in camp, 
but it was not accepted until the army had 
reached Harrison's Landing, on the James, 
July 2d, and strange as it may seem, I was an 
officer in the Army and Navy at the same 
time. 

That same da}' I saw General Hooker's 
Division march out towards Richmond, and 
all day long we heard his guns as he drove 
the Confederates back. It was said at the 
time that the Confederates started to take 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 4I 

their archives out of the city ; and later, years 
afterward, at a dinner given to General 
Hooker in Valejo, California, he told me he 
believed he could have taken Richmond if he 
had been backed up by the rest of the army. 

A few days after, June 29th, we were with- 
drawn from our position; the battle of Gaines' 
Mill had been fought and the Confederates 
repulsed, and Porter had started his corps 
toward the James River ; we followed. As we 
started back, I heard some of the men in the 
company talking about the change of base 
from the York to the James, when one man 
sang out, " Change of base be damned ! It's a 
retreat !" Well, if it was a retreat, it was well 
executed. 

We marched back some miles, and took a 
position at the further side of a large open 
plain, such as is so often seen in Virginia, 
with woods on all sides. Pickets were thrown 



42 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

out in tlie woods towards Richmond, and we 
waited the attack, expecting the whole of 
Lee's army would soon be on us. 

That was a grand army under McClellan. 
I remember seeing the men, after stacking 
arms, quietly eating their breakfast of hard- 
tack and salt beef, as unconcerned as if no 
enemy was within miles of them, and yet all 
expecting each moment to hear the pickets 
tell us that Lee was on them. 

General McClellan certainly arranged his 
change of base well. While one division was 
acting as rear guard, the other divisions and 
corps were marching to the rear, so each time 
the enemy attacked he met fresh men. After 
each attack, the enemy having been repulsed, 
the division or corps fell back, another 
division being placed on some chosen ground 
to meet the next attack. 

I saw a beautiful sight that morning. On 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 43 

our right was a road leading behind us to the 
Chickahominy, our company being on the 
extreme right and a short distance from the 
road. Suddenly I heard a confused noise, 
and from the road came a regiment of artillery 
on the jump. As they came into the plain 
they filed left on the gallop, with a rush and 
roar of clanking iron, some one hundred 
yards ahead of us, and when the last gun 
came they covered our line from end to end ; 
at a bugle-call, they wheeled into position, 
unlimbered, and every man and horse stood 
as if on parade. It was a fine sight; the 
alignment was perfect. 

I did not hear who they were, for our com- 
pany was ordered off to the rear, by the road, 
to watch the river, and give notice if a cross- 
ing was attempted. I could see the glint of 
the sun on the muskets of the Confederates, 
but no men were visible. I^ater I was sent 



44 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

to report to the General, and found the place 
vacant ; they had forgotten all about us and 
marched on. It did not take me long to re- 
turn, and soon we were double-quicking after 
the division, which we managed to overtake 
before it reached Savage Station, which was 
on the railroad, and was one of the open 
places I have before mentioned, surrounded 
by woods, maybe half a mile each way. 
Pickets were placed in the woods in the rear, 
and here again we -waited an attack. Our 
company was stationed near some building in 
the centre of the field, and it was not long 
before we heard the pickets well ahead of us 
and a little to our right. As the firing in- 
creased supports were sent in, and apparentl}' 
the rebs were tr3-ing to turn our left flank. 
More troops were forwarded, until the fight 
became general for a long distance to our 
left. I remember seeing a number of 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 45 

women coming from the houses and wring- 
ing their hands and crying. I asked them 
what they were crying about, and they 
said, " for the dear boys who will be kilt." 
They were the wives, apparently, of some 
soldiers of the Irish Brigade, which had just 
been sent into the fight. They were the only 
women I saw with the army, and how they 
lived in camp I cannot imagine. 

Another amusing incident occurred. The 
day was very hot, and in the dust in the 
middle of the plain came an ofiScer on a hard 
gallop, apparently with orders. While we 
were looking at him he was about to pass, 
when a shell hit him, and horse and rider 
went down with a crash, when, to our amaze- 
ment, he got up, kicked at his horse until he 
was up, mounted, and galloped away. 

It was late in the afternoon before the 
attack had been repulsed. I heard at the time 



46 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

that General Sumner wished to push his ad- 
vantage, but was not permitted to do so, as it 
probably would have interfered with the plans 
of the General commanding. 

We took up our march to the rear late in 
the afternoon or evening. It was a beautiful 
night, and we saw about the whole of it ; for 
mile after mile we marched. I think I was 
asleep part of the time. Some men fell out, 
and a rear guard was detailed to wake them 
up and keep them moving to save them from 
capture. At last we passed over White Oak 
Swamp bridge and dropped asleep. A few 
hours after we were routed out, cooked our 
breakfast, consisting of hardtack and pork, 
and coffee and sugar mixed, which we boiled 
together ; it was strong and black and no one 
slept after drinking it. 

This was the morning of Jul}^ 30th. We 
were just falling in to continue our march, when 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 47 

suddenly the air seemed full of shots — there 
must have been a regiment of artillery firing 
at once from the woods behind the stream 
which we had crossed the night before, and 
only a short distance away. At the further 
side of the plain was a train of pontoons which 
had just started, but the shells stampeded 
the mules, and the train was set on fire by 
those in charge and destroyed. I never 
understood why it was done, for certainly the 
trouble with the mules was no reason why so 
much property should be burned. 

We were in such an open space as I have 
previously spoken of; where we were was a 
mound, say a few hundred yards across and 
maybe twenty feet high. Near by, to the 
rear and left, was a poor-looking farmhouse ; 
below us a short distance was the stream, with 
its bridge destroyed by our troops after 
passing it ; beyond this, thick woods— in fact, 
[8] 



48 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

woods on all sides. At the first discharge of 
the rebel artillery our men fell in as quietly 
as if on parade ; no emotion, no excitement. 
We were formed around the front side of the 
mound and a battery of artillery was quickly 
unlimbered on the top. We were with Cald- 
well's Brigade, Richardson's Division of Sum- 
ner's Corps, and the brigade remained all day 
lying down at the foot of the mound. There 
was a group of officers, General Meagher, of 
the Irish Brigade, and his staff, and some 
others on horseback just behind the mound, 
and as I chanced to look at them I saw a shell 
fall in the middle of the group ; none were 
hurt, neither horses nor men. It was extra- 
ordinary. Shells can generally be seen when 
coming towards you but not when going away 
from you, and I often thought how different 
they sounded coming and going. 

The day was hot and the plain dusty, and 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 49 

the shells and shrapnel tore it up in all direc- 
tions, but the guns as a rule were aimed a 
little too high. I saw a shrapnel burst over 
my head, and it tore up the ground one or 
two hundred feet by ten or fifteen ; the 
dirt showed exactly where the pieces struck 
the earth. All day the shell and shrapnel 
came from the wood ; we expected an attempt 
to cross the river, and we were there to re- 
pulse it. 

I was lying dawn on the left side of the 
mound when, on looking around, I saw 
Captain Gregory, Adjutant of the Sixty-first 
Regiment, New York, a Brooklyn boy, taking 
the saddle off his horse. I asked him what he 
was doing ; he said his horse was wounded. 
He placed the saddle on the ground and laid 
down behind it. The horse started off, eating 
the grass, and I saw a hole in his side where 
a piece of shall had entered. It could not have 



50 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

hurt him at the time, but it must have been a 
mortal wound. 

Right in front of me, not fifty feet away, 
was Colonel Barlow, of the Sixty-first New 
York, a young officer and a very brave one. 
All day long he sat there, with the shells 
bursting over his head. Once I saw him 
picking his teeth while a piece of shell passed 
over his horse's back and not a foot from him. 
At this time General Meagher rode up ; he 
had a straw hat on with a green ribbon — the 
Irish colors. As he came up to Colonel Barlow 
he said, " Colonel Barlow, you are the bravest 
of the brave." And so he was. He was after- 
ward a Major-General and commanded a corps 
in the army. 

We lost some men that day, but not many, 
as the shells, as a rule, burst over us instead 
of before us. 

In the afternoon General Sumner rode on 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 5I 

the mound ; for a wonder, no shells hit him or 
his staff. He seemed half-asleep, and his head 
was nodding. I thought at the time that the 
staff, who were jogging along behind him, 
must have had an uneasy time. General 
Sumner was a splendid specimen of a soldier, 
tall, with white hair and large black eyes. 

We remained all day at the mound, heavy 
firing being heard to our right and left, and 
at 6.30 or 7 P. M. we were withdrawn 
and took up our march towards the James 
River. 

After some miles we seemed to be entering 
the zone of conflict ; we met stragglers, some 
wounded and some unhurt. We passed the 
remains of a light battery, two or three guns 
and a few horses, on the right of the road, 
apparently knocked out of action. Next we 
came to a long pile of knapsacks, all in line 
and piled up three feet high ; they must have 



52 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

been left there by a brigade before going into 
action. 

It was now nearl}^ dark, and abont 8 P. M., 
June 30, 1862. Smoke hung over the ground 
and, strange to relate, I saw the flashes of 
some artillery going up in the air as if firing 
at the sky. I never quite understood wli}- this 
was done. Whether they were Union or Con- 
federate guns we could not tell, as the fighting 
had been very severe all da}', and the lines 
were much broken. 

As we left the road to enter an open space, 
a man came towards us ; his face was all red 
with blood. He shouted, " Go in boys, and 
give them hell !" — and in we went. 

Colonel Barlow at once deployed in line, 
and as he picked iip a rebel flag from the 
ground, shouted, " Fight as you did at Fair 
Oaks, and that's all I'll ask of you !" 

I do not remember what became of the bal- 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 53 

ance of Caldwell's Brigade. The Sixty-first 
was there, and Colonel Barlow asked Captain 
Hastings to go in on the right of his regi- 
ment, as he was short of men. This we did, 
although it was the first time our men had 
acted in line as infantry, our duty being in 
skirmishing and picket mostly. Ivieutenant 
Winthrop was away, and I acted as First 
Lieutenant. 

By this time we had reached a position in 
the field on a rise of ground. Below us, may- 
be one hundred and fifty or two hiindred feet 
away, was a stone or bush fence ; we could 
not tell which in the dark. As I said before, 
the line was so broken no one knew who 
might be ahead — our men or rebs. Just as 
we reached the crest a voice from the fence 
sang out, "What regiment is that?" No 
reply being made, came, " If you do not tell 
I'll pour a volley into you !" Captain Hast- 



54 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

ings sang out, "The Sixty-first New York," 
when the repl}'' came, " Throw down your 
arms and surrender, or I'll blow 3^ou all to 
hell !" Our men set up a shout and a laugh. 
The Colonel ordered " Lie down !" Down we 
dropped, to let the first fire go over us, but we 
were so near, and in profile against the skj', 
that the rebs shot low. The flashes from their 
muskets extended well beyond our right. 

I raised up on my arms to see what was 
going on, and a ball struck me just front of 
my right shoulder. I thought it was the size of 
a grape shot, and that it had struck me in the 
breast and gone out at my back. I had no 
pain, for when I felt it, it was over. I lost 
consciousness ; and when I came to myself the 
men, or what remained, were all standing up 
and firing away at the rebs. 

I called on a man to help me, and managed 
to get away to the rear. I saw a number of 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 55 

stragglers ; asked one or two to give me a 
hand, but none did so nntil I saw a man 
in a green coat. I called him, and learned 
he was from the Minnesota company, and 
that Captain Drew and his two Sergeants had 
just been killed while ahead of his company. 
They had crawled up to a ridge and 
were looking over when all three were 
killed. 

This account is being written June 30, 
1904, just forty-two years after the battle of 
"Fraser's Farm", " Glendale," or "Charles 
City Cross-Roads," as it is called by all three 
names, and I have the ball in me yet. Some 
twenty years ago it was nearly the cause of 
my death, and since then it troubles me, off 
and on. I think it was a round musket-ball, 
as the hole was about the size of a dime, and 
the rebs, many of them, loaded with ball 
and buckshot. As near as I can make out, 

[9] 



56 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

tlie ball is between my upper ribs and my 
shoulder- blade. 

I was taken to Nelson's, or Fraser's, farm- 
house, and propped up against the house, 
where I remained that night. Inside there 
were some General officers in consultation. 

The night was warm, and I was not in 
great pain, except that I could only take very 
short breaths on account of the pain in my 
chest. The doctors took a look at me, and 
had about decided to take off my right arm at 
the shoulder, but I told them I had two lame 
brothers and they had better keep me whole. 
They said I would probably die, as I was shot 
through the lungs, and so I concluded to die 
with both arms on. I was told if I coughed 
it would be the end of me, so I did not cough. 
In front of me as I leaned against the house I 
saw a government shoe, and in it was a foot, 
thrown on the grass a few feet from me. 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 57 

Later the troops passed the house. With 
the Sixty-first came Company H — or what was 
left of them — and Captain Hastings had a 
chat with me. He left Privates Martin and 
McCormick, of my company, to stay and take 
care of me, as they did, and good men they 
were. I bid the captain goodby, sent my love 
to my mother — for I did not expect to live — 
and the boys marched on to Harrison's Landing. 

Next day, July ist, I was taken inside 
the house, which I found full of our wounded. 
It may have been that day or the day after, 
when the shells from our Union guns came 
tearing about the house. Our troops had 
reached Malvern Hill and covered the top 
with artillery. At this time I think I must 
have been a little out of my head, for I re- 
member sending one of my men to feel the 
walls of the house to see if they could resist 
the shells. 



58 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

Of course, tlie Confederates appeared on the 
lieels of our troops, and we were prisoners the 
morning after I was wounded. I was told 
that day that Jeff Davis was passing the 
house, but I was too ill to go to the window. 
The next day, however, when General " Jebb " 
Stuart and his staff passed, I had a good look 
at him, and a fine-looking soldier he was. He 
had a large, flowing, yellowish-red beard, sat 
his horse well, and wore a broad-rimmed felt 
hat ; he looked like a large man, of pleasing 
expression of countenance. 

Some of the rebs tried to get our men to 
desert and join their cause, but without suc- 
cess, although the poor fellows were all badly 
wounded, and weak in consequence. 

I think it was on the third day that Dr. 
Skelton, one of our surgeons, who had stayed 
to take care of the wounded, came to me and 
asked if I knew a Sharp-Shooter o£5cer who 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 59 

was going into the United States Marine 
Service. I told him I was the man ; he then 
said he was in Colonel Berdan's tent at York- 
town when I came in to get leave of absence 
to go to Washington for my examination. 
When the doctor knew who I was, he had me 
removed to the upper floor of the house and 
gave me a room ; he laid me on the bed, with 
the result that it gave me such pain that he 
quickly bolstered me up in a sitting position. 
I could hardly breathe lying down, and then 
with great pain. That night the doctor gave 
me some morphine, and I really think I en- 
joyed myself. I suffered but little, and al- 
though I cannot remember sleeping, yet I 
seemed rested in the morning. 

At this time antiseptic treatment of 
wounds was unknown, or not practiced, and 
one of the most unpleasant features of being 
wounded on the field was that the flies, of 



6o PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

which there were myriads, lighted on the 
wounds of the men and laid eggs, and the 
heat of the body hatched them in an incred- 
ibly short time — a few hours only — and from 
the eggs came maggots, about one-half inch 
long, black, with white heads, or vice versa, 
and proceeded to dine off you. There was 
hardly a wounded man in the farmhouse that 
was not eaten more or less b}' them. I remem- 
ber seeing some officers pouring some fluid on 
their wounds and the worms dropping out the 
other side; I was very careful, and only one fly 
"lit" on me, and he did not stay long; but my 
Sergeant, who was shot in the back while lying 
down, was badly eaten, as he could not see 
them when they "lit" on him. This seems 
very horrible to write about, but we paid little 
attention to it at the time. We were lucky 
to be alive, and were getting accustomed to 
our environment. 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 6l 

A few days after my promotion to the second 
story, an officer of a New Jersey regiment — 
Quartermaster, I think he was, came into the 
room. He was a good-looking man, with black 
hair and red cheeks, and told me the doctors 
would not look after him as he was not 
wounded, but that he was badly off with 
bowel trouble. We chatted awhile, and, as he 
left me, he seemed giddy and took high steps, 
and in a moment fell to the floor. I called for 
help, and soon a young doctor came in. He 
looked at him, and apparently did not know 
what to do. I explained the man's trouble, 
but all to no purpose. My poor friend was 
dying. I asked him what sort of a doctor was 
he. He said he did not know much about 
medicine ; but he was complimented by a 
General officer lately for the way he cut off a 
leg. Soon Dr. Skelton arrived, but the man 
was dead. 



62 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN TIIF. CIVII, WAR. 

M}^ trousers being well worn out, I took 
those of an Assistant Surgeon who died in my 
room. The}' had a gold welt on the side, and 
I was called '* Doctor " for a long time after. 
I maj' have taken his coat, with Staff shoulder 
straps, but I forget. On the table in mj- 
room was a little Presbyterian hymn book, 
I should sa}' it was an inch and a half 
thick, and bored clean through by a rifle 
ball. One of the doctors had it in his pocket. 
There was a young man in the house who 
was quite a curiosity to the doctors. He had, 
as the}- said, a six-pound iron ball in his 
stomach. How they told the weight I do not 
know. I inquired some weeks later and heard 
he had lived for weeks and at last died in 
Libbj^ Prison. 

I remember the Fourth of July, hearing the 
rebel bugles, and missed the old flag. Some 
days later QuU' 6th or 7th) we were put in 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 63 

wagons and sent to Richmond. We reached 
Libby Prison late in the afternoon. I had 
kept my revolver and tried to smuggle it into 
Libb}', but I was searched and it was taken ; 
also my watch and money ; but later the watch 
and money were returned to me. I had $io 
in greenbacks and $io in Georgia money. I 
remember the guard told me the Georgia 
money was as good as the greenbacks, and at 
that time it had a fair valuation.* 



*It seems proper to insert here some quotations from letters 
written at the time to his family. 

One from Colonel Wright, dated 

Headquarters, Army of the Potomac, 
July 3, 1863, Wednesday. 

My Dear Uncle : — It is my sad duty to have to inform you 
that your gallant boy, Frederick, was seriously wounded on 
Monday afternoon while protectinj< the passage of White Oak 
Swamp. His Colonel speaks of his modesty and courage in 
the highest terms. He held the post of honor, and while 
bravely defending it fell, with his face toward the enemy. 
His comrades rushed to his assistance, but he begged them 
not to remain. He told the Sergeant "not to mind about 
me." The enemy are always kind to the wounded, and I 
trust your brave boy is now a prisoner in their hands. I will 
use every effort to aid him. In the rapidity of our movements 
I have not yet been able to get any further news of him. I 
pray God with my whole heart that you may receive good 
news from your son. 

[10] 



64 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

Libb}^ Prison was a large, square, wooden 
building, three or four stories liigh, situated 
on. the banks of the river. 

I was taken up to the second story, which 
was occupied mostly by wounded officers. As 
I came in I saw Gregory, Adjutant of Sixty- 
first New York. He called out, " Hello, Peet ! 
Come and join our mess." The mess consisted 
of four or five officers, one of whom was a 
Bucktailed rifleman, from Pennsylvania ; he 



From the Captain of his Company, George G. Hastings. 

Camp on James River, 
July 3, 1863. 

.... I cannot say that there is not j^reat danger that 
Fred's wound was mortal. The musket ball entered at the 
shoulder and lodged in his lunjjs. 

.... I had to take a short and sad leave of him, but two 
of the Company voluntarily staid with him, expecting to be 
taken prisoners, but unwilling to leave him without friends. 

Fred was convinced that his wound was mortal ; though it 
was less painful than manj' gun-shot wounds it made breathing 
very difficult. 

He had no important message to send home, he said, 
except to tell his mother that he thought of her when he was 
inaction; she was always in his mind during the fight; and 
that he died in the faith of Christ. 

.... He was a brave, frank, noble fellow. Everybody 
liked him. The Company would do more for his plea.sure 
than for that of any of his officers, and were aiTectionately 
attached to him. He bore himself bravely and with coolness, 
and encouraged others to stand up bravely in the action when 
bullets were pouring iu like a hail storm. 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 65 

had a hole shot in his head, but he seemed not 
much the worse for it. 

While my wound had been doing fairly 
well I was very weak and growing weaker 
every day, being also troubled with diarrhoea. 
I could eat but little. We had something 
which looked like coffee, but did not taste like 
it. I think it was chiccory. We were 
permitted to send a man to the city to buy 
food, but, as I could not eat what we obtained, 
I have forgotten what we had. I needed a 



From Lieutenant W. W. Winthrop of his Company. 

Camp near Harrison's Landing, 
July 16, 1862. 
.... If he is indeed gone, we who saw how he never 
neglected his morning and evening prayer and reading of 
Scriptures, who knew his uniform kindliness and ingenuous 
frankness of heart, as well as devotion to principle which was 
most marked, can fully believe he has gone to the land where 
there is no war, no anguish, no mourning, but always rest 
and peace. Personall}-, I was strongly attached to your 
brother. We occupied the same tent together for many 
months and had no differences. I alwa3'S found him generous. 
Often has he taken my place on duty when I had been 
detailed under some regular service or on my desire to devote 
my time to some other business or to social pleasures. ... It 
is gratifying to me, as it will be to you, to know that on this 
occasion, as well as on all others in which he has been under 
fire from the enemy, your brother behaved like a true and 
gallant soldier and leader of men. 



66 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

handkerchief and the man brought back a 
piece of white cloth which looked like a napkin, 
about a foot square, for which I paid a dollar in 
greenbacks. I was so ill with my complaint 
that I took little interest in what went on 
about me. Every morning the Medical Direc- 
tor of General Porter's Corps, who had been 
captured, made a round of the room, but he 
never stopped long with me ; he looked at the 
wound and passed on ; and day by day I grew 



Among the official records referring to the battle is the 
following from the report of Captain Hastings of his 
Company : 

" Lieutenant Peet of my Company, though suffer- 
ing from sickness, entered eagerly into the battle and 
conducted himself with great bravery and perfect 
coolness. He fell wounded while encouraging a 
charge of our men. 

"Dated, Camp at Harrison's Landing, 

"Julys, 1863." 



It seems proper to say in connection with these words 
concerning his bravery in action, that under any other 
circumstances he would probably have been brevetted and 
honored, but he was in the unfortunate condition of fighting 
with the Army while he was an officer in the Navy at that 
particular time. The Army Department could not honor him 
because he did not belong to their body, and the Navy were 
restrained from doing so because he was not fighting under 
them.-R. T. 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 6/ 

weaker. The doctors did what they could for 
me (they were prisoners themselves), but to 
no purpose. They had no nourishing food 
and but few medicines. What could they do ? 
There must have been a hundred wounded 
officers in the room, from Brigadier-Generals 
to Second Lieutenants. There were a number 
whose legs had been amputated, and I saw 
several with both legs off sitting in chairs, 
looking like skeletons, shaking and trembling 
continually. Once I heard a crash, and on 
looking found that one of them without legs 
had fallen from his seat. 

I had been in the prison a few days when a 
visitor was announced. He said his name was 
Meade and he was a Captain in the Confederate 
Quartermaster's Department. He asked if I 
was the son of Mr. Frederick T. Peet, of 
Brooklyn, Senior Warden of St. Ann's Church. 
I told him I was, and he said his wife had sent 



68 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

him to see me, also that she was the daughter 
of Mr. Sands, Junior Warden of St. Ann's. I 
remembered then that ^Ir. Sands' j-oungest 
daughter had married a Southerner and had 
gone South. He was polite but not cordial, 
maybe because I called him Mr. instead of 
Captain, but he was in mufti. He asked 
what he could do for me. I told him I needed 
a shirt, as I had on my blue woolen one, the 
front of which was stiff with blood. He said 
he had none to spare, but offered me money, 
which I declined, thanking him for his 
kindness. He then left me. 

A few days after an officer came up and 
asked if I was Lieutenant Peet of the Sharp- 
Shooters. He was a dignified, pleasant fellow. 
He said a flag of truce had come i:p that 
morning from General McClellan to General 
Lee, and among other matters Major Marcy 
had asked the authorities to find out if I was 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 69 

dead or alive, and, if alive, to see that I had 
proper care, etc. This, of course, came from 
my cousin, Colonel Wright, who was on the 
General Staff. The officer was not in uniform, 
but said he was Lieutenant or Commander Jones 
of the Confederate Navy. I think he was one 
of the officers who was with Jeff Davis when 
captured and who previously had made a 
record by shelling our coast. He was a 
pleasant gentleman, and I thanked him for 
his kindness.* 

As days went by I became weaker, as I could 
eat but little. I lost flesh and strength, but 



*From Colonel Wright. 

Headquarters, Army of the Potomac, 
July 11, 1863. 
.... This moruing I was ordered out to meet a flag of 
truce from the enemy. It was borne by Lieutenant Wood of 
the Confederate Navy, a sou of my good friend. Dr. Wood, of 
the Army. From him I could learn nothing of Fred, but I 
seut word to Colonel Chilton, my wife's uncle and Aide to 
Major-General Lee of the rebels, giving him a description of 
Fred and asking that some news might be seut to us of him. 
Lieutenant Wood assured me that all means should be used 
to find out the whereabouts of Fred. If I should receive a 
reply I shall not fail to inform you of its import at the 
earliest possible moment. 



70 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

as I had a good constitution and was in the 
best of liealth when wounded I did not feci 
like giving up. As I remember it I was the 
onl}' one who received visitors, at least near 
my part of the room. Some days later an 
officer was presented to me as Medical Director 
of General I,ee's Staff. He said he was sent 
by Colonel Chilton of Lee's Staff (his Chief of 
Staff, I think,) to look after me. He said that 
Colonel Chilton wished it to be understood 
that it was not done on account of any good 
feeling towards me or for Colonel Wright, but 
solely on account of the kindness shown by 
Senator Wright, Colonel Wright's father, 
to Miss Emily Mason, who was a near rela- 
tive of his. She was the aunt of Colonel 
Wright's wife, and at the beginning of the 
war was visiting the family in Newark, New 
Jersej^ She was a fierce secessionist, and once 
remarked that she wished she had the North 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 7' 

on one neck and she would chop it off. She 
was a very handsome, cultivated woman, one 
whom every one admired, but she was the 
fiercest rebel I ever met. But to go back to 
the surgeon. He asked me if I was well 
enough to be exchanged and to go North. 
I told him I was, most assuredly. He 
said he would arrange for my parole and left 



me. 



A few days later (July i8) I found there 
was to be a general parole awaiting exchange 
of prisoners, and I with my two Sharp-Shooters, 
Martin and McCormack, and a number of 
others were loaded into wagons and started 
for the James. In my wagon was Captain 
Stanhope of the Twelfth Infantry. As we 
left the city a handsome Confederate artillery 
of&cer rode by and recognized Captain 
Stanhope. It seems they were at West Point 
together. He was about the best looking 

[11] 



72 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

officer I had seen in the Southern Army. 
Well dressed, gauntlet gloves, coat and 
trousers well made — in fact, he looked as trim 
as if he had just come from parade. Stanhope 
asked hira what he was doing. He said he 
commanded the Washington Light Artillery 
which was parked over in the woods, and that 
it was a year ago that day that he fired the 
first shot at Bull Run. 

After a time we reached the steamer 
" Louisiana " and found Colonel Sweitzer of 
McClellan's Staff in charge. In a short time 
we were off Harrison's Landing. Cousin 
Colonel Wright came on board and brought 
me some delicacies in the shape of marmalade 
and jelly. He was very kind, and I thanked 
him for all he had done for me, which I shall 
never forget. I was a shadow of m}"- old self, 
and could not have weighed much over lOO 
pounds, for I was weighed when I thought 



WITH THE SHARP-SHOOTERS. 73 

myself well and I only weighed about 120 
then.* 

We took passage on the "Euterpe," a com- 
fortable steamer. The trip to New York was 
all that could be wished. I could eat but little, 
and as they would not let me have iced lem- 
onade or iced water, I made it up by eating ice, 
which was not denied me. On our arrival at 



* Letter from Colonel Wright. 

Headquarters, Army of the Potomac, 
July 20, 1863. 
You have doubtless heard that our brave Fred is alive. 
Yesterday, through the kindness of Colonel Chilton, of 
General Lee's Staff, Fred was sent off among the first of the 
wounded from Richmond and is now on board of the Louisiana 
off this place. I shall go out and see him to-day. 

.... I send you a copy of Colonel Chilton's note. 

"July 16, 1863. 
"Sir : — Just received yourmemorandum respecting 
Lieutenant F. T. Peet. Had I known of his condition 
before, kindnesses shown by your father and mother 
to Miss Mason would have induced me before leaving 
the field to have ministered to his wants. As it is, I 
have engaged Surgeon Culleu, employed in removing 
the paroled wounded and sick, to look him up to-day 
and send him off with the first. The doctor recalls 
his name as among the wounded. Temporary sick- 
ness deters me from giving personal attention to this 
matter. 

" (Signed) R. H. Chilton." 
S P. M. I have just seen Fred on board the steamer 
Louisiana. I find him looking quite bright, full of heart and 
courage. Such good-natured pluck as he has is sure to bring 
recovery. 



74 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

New York, my father and brother William 
came off iu a rowboat, and soon I was at 
home again in the care of my famil3^ 
It soon showed its good effects. I gained 
daily, and in a few months I Avas able 
to report mj'self for duty at Headquarters 
United States Marines, at Washington, having 
been exchanged during my convalescence.* 



*My uncle, when reading the proof of this pamphlet, dis- 
covered that I had inserted the letters and reports concerning 
his capture and supposed death. In spite of his objections, I 
allow them to remain, though he says "he takes no stock in 
all this buncombe about his bravery, etc." — R. T. 




IN THE MARINE CORPS. 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS 

AT CHARLESTON HARBOR; AND OV 

THE STEAMSHIP "NIAGARA." 

December 8, 1862, being able to return to 
duty, I reported to Colonel Harris, Com- 
mandant United States Marines, at Washing- 
ton, D. C. I remained there seven months. 
Our work consisted mostly in drill, guard, 
and ofJEcer of the day duty. While off 
duty we were the recipients of many social 
favors. As is often the case in wartime, when 
money is plenty, and ofl&cers of all grades in 
evidence, the social life was rather fervid. 
Balls and receptions was the order of the night 
and day, and our life became a round of gaiety. 
There is to an extent a certain feeling of 
comradeship, or clannishness, among the regu- 



76 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

lar officers of the Army and Navj', and I soon 
became acquainted with all of the prominent 
Regular officers, and with many in the Volun- 
teer service. I especially recall Admirals 
Porter and Farragut, and Generals Phil. 
Kearney, Sherman and Custer ; also Cameron 
and Stanton, Secretaries of War, Chase, Secre- 
tary of the Treasury, and Vice-President 
Colfax ; often, too, I called upon Secretary 
Welles of the Navy. The social status in 
those days was rather strictly kept among the 
Army and Navy, and the old residents of the 
city ; and we seldom met the politicians. Re- 
ceptions were given mostly by the heads of De- 
partments of State, War, Navy, &c. At this 
time I remember seeing some General officers 
of the Confederate Army on Pennsylvania 
Avenue. They, of course, were prisoners ; but 
the difference between our treatment of prison- 
ers and theirs struck me at the time. 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS. 77 

I was ordered from Washington to Brook- 
lyn Navy Yard, July 23, 1863, which gave 
me the opportunity of seeing much of my 
family. 

I was ordered soon to the Marine Battalion, 
bound for Charleston Harbor. It consisted of 
500 or 600 men, commanded by Colonel Rey- 
nolds, one of the best officers of our corps. My 
Captain was Charles G. McCauley, and my 
First Lieutenant, Robert H. Mead, son of 
Captain Richard Mead, United States Navy, 
retired, and nephew of General Mead, of the 
Army of the Potomac. We left New York City 
on the steamer "Arago," August ist.* 

*He describes this voyage in a letter dated: 

United States Transport "Arago," 
off Charleston Bar, August 4, 1863. 

Here we are at last, somewhere between Charleston and 
Port Royal. Our voyage has been as pleasant as could be 
wished for, the vessel, Captain, and even the weather have 
been all that we could ask. Most of the time we sat upon the 
deck, for, although there are few finer ships than the "Arago," 
yet the staterooms are intensely warm, and to-day the water 
in my bowl was nearly boiling (literal truth). 

.... To-day we descried several vessels, one apparently 
making for us. She caused quite an excitement, for she was 



78 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

On our arrival at Charleston, August 4tli, 
we were quartered on the different ships of the 
fleet. I was on the " Wabash." 

Charleston is on a large bay, in the centre 
of which was Fort Sumter ; on our right, as 
you look at the city, was Sullivan's Island, 
with Fort Moultrie, and on the left Morris 
Island, behind which, to the south, lay Folley 
Island, with Stono Inlet to the south. At the 
northern end of Morris Island, near the bay, 
was Fort Wagner, and at the end of the Island 
nearer Charleston, Battery Gregg, and oppo- 
site, across the channel, nearer Charleston, was 
Fort Johnson, all in the hands of the rebels.* 



the image of tbe "Alabama." She turned out to be, as nearly 
as we could judge, au English gunboat. 

At 6 o'clock P. M., we arrived off Charleston. The block- 
aders were all there, ready to slip cable. We stopped near 
the " Ossipee," and gave them the mail. Guns are now being 
planted on Morris Island. In about ten days the arrange- 
ments will be completed, when Sumter will be knocked to 
pieces ! 

*The constant excitement in which he lived during this 
summer, may be inferred from a letter dated: 

United States Frigate "Wabash," 

August 9, 1863. 
I am at present, and will be until the assault is made upon 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS. 79 

After a few days, our troops were landed 
and camped to the southern end of Morris 
Island, and we had built a line of earth- 
works fronting Fort Wagner, at the other 
end of the island ; and one running parallel 
from our works to Wagner. The Navy had 
an earthwork, armed with Navy guns, and com- 
manded by Captain Bunce. It was called Bat- 
tery Bunce, and manned by blue-jackets. The 
Army was commanded by General Gilmore, 
and had in it several regiments of colored 
troops. Later the troops were commanded by 
General Terry. We had a regular Battery, 

Fort Wagner, on the " Wabash." Our quarters are much pre- 
ferable to those of the Array The program for the 

daily expected attack is as follows : Sumter is to be reduced 
by I'and batteries and iron-clads, after which, or at the same 
time Wagner will be attacked by Gilmore lu the front, and 
by our battalion of marines in the rear. We are to lie along- 
side of the "Ironsides" in boats. At a signal, we wiU land 
and form on the beach, between Wagner and Gregg, under 
fire from Moultrie, Wagner, Gregg, Cummings Point, and 
possibly Fort Johnson, on Stono Inlet, and Fort Sumter. After 
landing we will storm Wagner in the rear. If the expedition 
is not successful, we will all be gobbled up or killed, for you 
see we can not retreat, or we will get into Fort Gregg and 
Cummings Point. The fate of Wagner will be decided by this 
time next week ! 

[12] 



8o PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

commanded b}^ Gu}' V. Henry, whom I had 
known in Washington, and Lieutenant Theo- 
dore K. Gibbs, an old Seventh Regiment man, 
from New York City. Our battalion was 
camped near the sea, on the sand; behind us 
was a high lookout built of wood, from 
which observations of the enemy could be 
made. 

The blockading fleet, under command of 
Admiral Dalgren, was continually at work 
bombarding Sumter, Moultrie, Wagner, and 
Gregg. Also the guns from our land batteries 
kept up a continual fire on Sumter and Wag- 
ner. After a time Sumter looked like an earth- 
work ; the bricks, or stones, of the walls were 
hammered into one mass of masonry. I saw 
the flag on Sumter shot awa\^ three times. All 
this time we were pushing our parallels nearer 
to Wagner. Fort Johnson, just over the water 
from Battery Gregg, was doing all possible to 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS. 8l 

hinder our work by mortars, whicti would be 
so discharged that the bombs would pass 
beyond Wagner and explode over our men 
digging the parallels. In the night it was a 
beautiful sight to see the twinkling of the 
fuse as the bombs went into the air. They 
looked like stars. Up, up they would go in a 
curve to a great height, then as slowly come 
twinkling down, and when near the earth 
would burst into flame, only, maybe, loo feet 
or so beyond the fort. Such accuracy was 
astonishing when we consider there is no 
pointing of the mortar. All is regulated by 
the amount of powder and the fuse. 

There was a man, and a brave man, too, 
who used to sit in a chair on the upper works 
of Wagner every day in the afternoon, 
apparently reading a paper, entirely careless 
of our fire. Day after day our gunners sought 
to knock him over, but he sat there apparently 



82 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

unconcerned ; but at last a shell or shot hit 
him. It was while the General was on the 
lookout watching the bombardment, and he 
sent his congratulations to the gunner. But 
it seemed too bad to kill him, even if he did 
show his contempt of us by his actions. 

I remember an amusing incident which 
occurred that summer. There was a side- 
wheel steamer called the " Pilot," I think, 
which had been run out of Charleston by a 
colored man, and for his pluck he was given 
command of her. I think she had no guns, 
but was engaged in general work for the 
Army and Navy. The Captain considered 
himself a Navy officer, and had a great idea 
of discipline on his ship. So one day as he 
was coming to anchor he shouted, " Fo'castle, 
dere ! " " Aye, aye, sir," came the reply. 
" Let go de starboard anchor." The answer 
came, "Dere ain't no cable attached." "No 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS. 83 

matter, sir ; fust thing to do is to obey orders. 
Let go de starboard anchor." And away it 
went. 

Our parallels were within a few feet of the 
ditch and we were ready to attack Wagner. 
We were ordered to be ready at four A. M. 
September 7th, and up we went, expecting to 
storm the fort. The marines were up at the 
front. But the Confederates had gotten wind of 
the attack and evacuated the fort a short time 
before our arrival. Some of them were 
captured by our Navy patrol boats when 
crossing the water between Forts Gregg and 
Johnson. We soon had possession of all the 
fortifications on the island, and then guns 
were turned on Sumter. I think the marines 
were the first in Wagner, for I remember 
seeing no one but ourselves there, although I 
may have forgotten if others were present. 
When I reached the Fort I was surprised to 



84 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

see tlie havoc our big shells had made. The 

ramparts were badly torn and some guns 

dismounted, and the ditches seemed full of 

fifteen-inch shells which were fired by our 

monitors. I saw a pile of dead Confederates, 

all without heads. They must have lost their 

heads while serving the guns. I then went 

into the bomb-proofs. Here I saw a dead 

soldier ; he was well dressed in gray, and was 

a remarkably fine looking man. He had a 

gold ring on his finger, and he must have 

been a man out of the common run, for he had 

a splendid head and his features showed 

refinement. As I was looking at him a man 

near me picked up a rebel flag. I saw it had 

a cord attached to it, and warned him to be 

careful. I took the line and followed it into 

the magazine. I presume it was expected 

some of us would grab the flag and haul at 

the rope and in doing so blow up the magazine, 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS. 8$ 

but I cut the rope on seeing where it led. 
After taking Wagner and Gregg the Army 
and Navy turned their attention to Sumter. 
The marines were to go with the Navy, and it 
was a question which arm of the service shorild 
first be in the attack. Our Admiral sent word 
to General Beauregard to surrender the fort. 
He replied, " If you want it, come and take it." 
The Confederates must have guessed our 
purpose, for they reinforced Sumter at once. 
Volunteers were called for among our 
officers, and all the Lieutenants volunteered. 
Our Captain, Charles G. McCauley, said he 
would not volunteer, for he knew he would be 
ordered to command us, and it was so. But 
one of us had to remain, and Mead and I 
threw up a cent to see who should go; he 
won, and I remained with the balance of my 
Company. It was fortunate for me I lost, for 
Mead's boat was wrecked at the foot of the 



86 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

fort by hand-grenades, and Lieutenant Brad- 
ford, our Quartermaster, who had obtained 
permission to go, was killed and all in the 
boats were captured. 

After the capture of Morris Island, the 
Army then being under command of General 
Terry, most of us were moved to Folley Island, 
adjoining it to the south. Here we had a 
beautiful Camp.* 

Colonel Reynolds was then in command 
and our camp was the cynosure of all the 



*He thus describes the camp in a letter dated 

Folley Island, October 11, 1863. 

Saturday last we struck tents and came by steamboat to 
this island. We are now very pleasantly situated on the 
Bouthwestern corner. Before us is Folley River, which 
separates us from James Island. On our left, the south, is 
Stono Inlet, at the head of which can be seen through the 
trees the village of St. Grieville with its white church steeple 
and picturesque houses, making altogether quite an enchant- 
ing little picture. Our camp is pitched on a slight eminence 
covered with large pine trees, which afford shelter to all, but 
to me, especially, brings reminiscences of my Virginia 
campaign, which, strange as it may seem, appears now very 
pleasant. 

.... There is a detail of 100 men every few days for the 
"Pawnee." I expect to go on board to-night. My only 
objection to it is my want of nice clothes. My shoes are 
worn out, and I am the happy possessor of only one white 
shirt. 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS. ^7 

army. Near us was a brigade commanded by 
General Ames. I bad known him in Wash- 
ington when Captain in the regular artillery. 
One day I took Lieutenant Lowrey, one of our 
officers, and we called on the General. He 
was very pleasant, and before we left offered 
each of us the command of a regiment in his 
brigade. He said he was courtmarshalling 
the Colonels of two Connecticut regiments 
and would be glad if we would take the 
command. I thought this quite a compli- 
ment, as I was only twenty-two years of 
age and a young-looking fellow at that. We 
decided not to accept, as it would have required 
a good bit of work in Congress to have us 
transferred to the Army, and we were not 
certain that it could be done. 

While at Folley Island, about October ist 
I was ordered to take fifty men and report to 
Captain Balch of the "Pawnee", of which John 

[13] 



88 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

W. Philip, later Admiral, was the Executive 
Officer. She was lying in Stono Inlet 
just south of Folley Island. They were 
expecting an attack and needed more men. 
I was there for a couple of weeks and slept 
" in the country " as it was called, i. e.: I had a 
cot slung in the ward-room. 

We remained at Folley Island until Decem- 
ber ; upon the 5th of which month I arrived at 
the Marine Barracks, Philadelphia, being trans- 
ferred thence to Brooklyn Navy Yard, Decem- 
ber 9th, 1863. While on duty in Brooklyn, 
the United States Steamship " Niagara" — 
bound for Europe after the Confederate Cruiser 
" Alabama " — lay off our home, in the East 
River. She was commanded by Commodore 
Thomas T. Craven, an old friend of our fam- 
ily. Mr. French, the Second Lieutentant of 
Marines, was not anxious for sea service and I 
applied and obtained the position April 26th, 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS. 89 

1864. Captain Joseph Baker commanded the 
Marine Guard of fifty men.* 

We left New York, June ist, 1864, and 
were almost a month crossing the Atlantic, 
seldom using steam and continually on the 
lookout for the "Alabama;" speaking all 
vessels we met to learn of her whereabouts. 
When off the Banks of Newfoundland we came 
upon a fleet of Yankee fishermen, and the 
Commodore sent the Paymaster in a boat to 
get a supply of fresh cod-fish. The fishermen 
first thought we were Jeff Davis coming after 
them, so they said, and were so glad to see who 
we were that they almost gave away the fish. 
Later in the day when the Commodore heard 



»The "Niagara" was a full-rigged ship of 4,582 tons, 
364 feet long and 60 feet beam, with auxiliary screw. She 
had a flush deck and all her guns were on the spar deck. 
She carried twelve 1.50-pound Parrot rifles. She was 
a very pleasant ship with good quarters for the officers and 
rigged like a clipper. Before the war she had been sent to 
help lay the first Atlantic cable. During the war she 
was changed by having an overhanging bow put upon her and 
looked much like a clipper ship although her size showed that 
she was a man-of-war. — R. T. 



90 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

of the price paid, he turned about and ran back 
for several hours to give them more money, but 
we could not sight them and started for the 
English Channel. It was a beautiful day, 
June 25th, when we reached there and took on 
a pilot. He was an odd-looking fellow, had a 
silk hat on, and a tippet around his neck. He 
looked more like a landsman than a sailor. 
The first question we asked was : 

" Have you heard of the ' Alabama.' " 

He replied : 

" She was sunk off Cherbourg 3festerday 
morning by the ' Kearsarge.' " 

We sailed on to Flushing and Antwerp 
where we arrived June 27th. The first 
week in July we left there and cruised 
in the English Channel, looking for the Con- 
federate cruiser " Florida." We failed to find 
her and were back at Antwerp July i6th. 
On the 29th we left there again and sailed 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS. 9^ 

to Liverpool. While there we heard that the 
rebel vessel the " Georgia " had been bought 
by some Englishmen and was running down 
the coast ; so we changed the appearance of 
our ship by painting the funnels, put a white 
stripe along the sides and rigged stump top- 
gallant masts, like an English boat, and left 
on the 5th of August. We reached Lisbon on 
the nth; sailed again on the 14th, and the 
next day met the "Georgia" off the coast of 
Portugal ; we brought her to, put a prize crew 
on board and sent her home. She was sold in 
Boston and only brought the cost of her ma- 
chinery. My share was $100. She was sent 
home in charge of Master McGill, a volunteer 
officer; and while on her voyage the crew 
became convinced she was haunted. All night 
long could be heard in the bowels of the ship 
a tapping, tapping. No one could tell the 
cause, nor locate the sound ; it went on night 



92 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

after night until the crew were thoroughly 
frightened. But all things have an end, and 
the tapping ended when several of the engi- 
neers were found drunk. It seems that they 
found that their quarters were next to the 
spirit room, which was made of iron, and they 
had spent their time in relays cutting a hole 
in the iron bulkhead. 

Later we sailed North and in the first part 
of October were again at Antwerp. 

In the meantime I had been promoted to 
First Lieutenant, my commission being dated 
September ist, 1864. 

October loth we ran down to Flushing and 
anchored. I was on deck just after dinner, 
about 2 P. M., when some of the ofiScers were 
speaking of a steamer which was coming down 
the " Skeldt." She was a long, low, lead-col- 
ored affair and looked like a blockade runner. 
As she passed us she merely slowed down to 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS. 93 

drop her pilot and steamed away at a great 
rate. Some of the volunteer officers said they 
had heard that she had an iron-clad on board 
in sections. Others, that she was a blockade 
runner, &c. 

While we were talking near the skylight of 
the Commodore he came on deck. It seems 
he had heard what had been said. He 
inquired of the officers about the reports, and 
said it was very strange that his officers heard 
all these things and he was not informed. He 
turned to Mr. Biglow, the Executive Officer, 
and asked how long it would take to get under 
weigh. " About fifteen minutes," was the 
reply. *' Get under weigh, Mr. Biglow," said 
the Commodore in his deep voice, and every 
one jumped to their posts. The fires were 
banked, and it was extraordinary how quickly 
we got steam up. And soon we were after 
her as fast as our engines could drive us. We 



94 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

must have used our sails, for we overhauled 
her opposite Brighton in the Channel. A shot 
brought her to. We put a marine guard on 
board of her, and in the morning began to dig 
out her cargo. The night before, on bringing 
her to, the Commodore dispatched an officer to 
communicate by wire with our Consul at 
Antwerp to find out if she carried contraband 
goods, and at the same time sent Lieutenant 
Lloyd Phoenix to London to see our Minister, 
Mr. Adams. 

The morning after the capture Commodore 
Craven was quite ill and was not able to leave 
his cabin. The Executive Officer, Mr. Biglow, 
and others, I among them, went on board to 
have a look at her. She had no name on 
anything on her, except on her papers, in 
which she was called the " Cicerone." She 
was bound for a West India port, with some 
general merchandise. Her Captain was a 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS. 95 

little devil of a Spaniard, a villainous-looking 
man, and the third officer and men were of 
like ilk, but the second ofi&cer was a big fellow 
and rather more prepossessing. The cabin 
aft liad nothing in it but a great number of 
chairs all piled up aft. On my return to our 
ship I heard some of the sailors say that she 
was a slaver ; they said they could tell it by 
the arrangement between decks. We held her 
all day, the blue jackets digging into her hold 
and piling the contents on deck, but nothing 
of a compromising nature was found. All this 
time the Captain was much excited and stormed 
about the ship, cursing the Yankees in Spanish. 
It was about midnight when the lookout 
hailed a boat. It contained the officer who 
had been sent to communicate with our Consul 
at Antwerp. He had received a reply that 
there was nothing contraband on board. The 
guard was at once withdrawn, and in a minute 

[14] 



96 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVII. WAR. 

she was out of sight. An hour later Mr. 
Phoenix reported. He had not seen our 
Minister, Mr. Adams, as he was out of London, 
but the Secretary sent word that the 
" Cicerone " was a noted slaver, and to hold 
her at all hazards. It seems the English 
cruisers had been after her for a long time, 
and she had slipped through the fleet and 
passed up the channel and gone to Antwerp, 
right under the noses of the Channel fleet. 

November 5th we returned to Antwerp and 
remained there some months. While at Ant- 
werp our ship was visited by thousands daily. 
The Commodore often called on me to take 
charge of the guests, as he did not like to talk 
French, so I made many pleasant acquaintances. 
I took a trip up the Rhine to Cologne, Coblentz, 
Weisbaden and Paris. 

February 5th, 1865, we started after the 
rebel ram "Stonewall," which had just 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS. 9/ 

received her guns and ammunition at sea. 
She was built at Copenhagen for the Confed- 
erate service, had twin screws, some heavy 
guns (one a 300-pound Armstrong), two 
turrets which were heavily armored and she 
had a long iron ram forward. We ran down 
the coast to Corunna as we heard she had gone 
to Ferrol, the Spanish navy yard in the Bay of 
Biscay. On our arrival, February nth, we 
found that she was as reported at Ferrol. Later 
the " Sacramento," a ship of war, came in 
under commaud of Captain Walke. We were 
kept informed of the " Stonewall's " movements 
by our Consul at Ferrol, while the " Niagara" 
and "Sacramento" stood by to go to sea at 
a moment's notice. Ferrol harbor is a beautiful 
spot. It is a circle of half a mile or less in 
diameter, surrounded by mountains. The 
approach is through a deep cut in the moun- 
tains, very narrow, with abrupt sides of rock and 



98 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

trees. On tlie 21st we got under weigh Avitli all 
lights out in the ship and made our way across 
the bay, some seven miles, to the entrance of 
the strait which leads to Ferrol. It was 
rumored about ship that the Commodore 
might ram the "Stonewall" if she happened 
to be in the way, but on our arrival we saw 
her on the opposite side of the harbor. 

Next morning we ran back to Corunna, to be 
ready to leave if the "Stonewall" came 
out. We heard that some recruits for her were 
expected daily in a steamer, and we ran out 
for a day to intercept them, but they did not 
turn up. One day, when we were at dinner 
there, we heard the cr}' " The ' Stonewall ' is 
coming out ! " At once we beat to quarters, 
and I remember how quietly the ofl&cers left the 
table, buckling on their swords. No one would 
have imagined that the}- expected to engage 
the most formidable ship in the Confederate 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS. 99 

Nav3^ I caused a laugh among the officers by 
taking my meerschaum cigar-holder, a large, 
handsome affair, which Mead bought in Paris, 
and sending a bo}' down in the hold of the 
ship to place it where it would not be broken, 
in case we got into hot quarters with the 
enemy. The "Sacramento" was first under 
weigh, and making straight for the " Stone- 
wall " — we followed as quickl}- as possible, onl}^ 
a short wa}' behind — our men at the guns 
stripped to the waist, the magazine opened, 
the sick ba}' in readiness, and the deck 
sprinkled with sawdust. Both ships were doing 
all possible, but we could neither of us steam 
over nine knots or so. Accompanj-ing the Ram 
was the Spanish ship " Conception." Before 
we could reach the Ram she turned and ran 
in, keeping well within the three miles of 
neutral water, so we went back to our an- 
chorage. 



lOO PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

On March the 24th, the " Stonewall " ran 
out again, accompanied by the frigate " Con- 
ception," at 10 o'clock in the morning ; we 
followed with the '' Sacramento ; " when she ran 
back to her quarters in Ferrol, having been 
out forty-five minutes. Next day, the 25th, at 
about 8 A. M., she again appeared, with the 
Spanish frigate. The day was absolutely 
calm, and our pilot said we might wait a 5^ear 
and not have such another day. As the 
" Stonewall " was much faster than either of 
our ships — could turn on her heel in three or 
four minutes, was heavily plated with iron, had 
a heavy ram forward, and a 300-pound rifle 
in one of her two turrets — it seemed only sen- 
sible for Commodore Craven to wait a while 
and see if the breeze would not spring up. 
With the use of our sails we could nearly 
double our speed. As it was, it took her, I 
think, ten or fifteen minutes to turn around, 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS. lOI 

maybe less. But we had to make a large 
sweep to turn ; and we knew our guns had 
been condemned by a Navy Board at home, at 
least the 150-pound Parrots, and when firing 
them the elevating screws were liable to break. 
We had arranged a lot of wedges, to be used 
in an emergency, so as to elevate or depress 
our guns, should the screws break. I men- 
tion these particulars of the Confederate Ram, 
and of our ships, to show why it seemed to the 
Commodore and Captain Walke proper to wait 
awhile and see if we could not be helped by a 
little wind. Still, I think we would have gone 
out, had not our Consul at Ferrol wired us 
that the Ram had left her boats and spars at 
Ferrol. No breeze came, and we remained wait- 
ing; but instead of her turning back to Ferrol^ 
she left in the night for Lisbon. We had gone 
after her twice, and once had cruised outside; 
any of which times she could have had all the 



102 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

fighting she wished. So, all we can say is, that 
it turned out badly for us. Commodore Craven 
was courtmarshalled. His Court, which took 
place at Washington, was comprized of the best 
officers we had in the service. It there was 
shown that it required more courage to remain 
than it did to go out. The Court would not 
condemn the Commodore, as expected by the 
Department, and he was released from arrest 
and returned to duty. The Court would not 
take away the right of the commanding officer 
to use some judgment of his own in such cases. 
We started at once for Lisbon, steaming 
as fast as possible, but we had to hold up 
several times for the " Sacramento " to catch 
up with us. It took lis twelve hours longer to 
reach Lisbon than it did the " Stonewall," and 
both our vessels used sails as well as steam. 
We were fifty hours on the passage, which we 
reached on the 27th. The "Stonewall" lay 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS. I03 

opposite the city. We anchored in the Tagus 
opposite Belum Castle, an historic old fort, 
from which Columbus sailed on his voyage of 
discovery. Next morning we saw the " Stone- 
wall " getting up steam, and we went to 
quarters as it was possible she might try to 
ram us as she passed. I saw old "Ramrod" 
Page, her Commander, in a gray suit, pacing 
back and forth on his turret as she passed, 
and that was the last we saw of the "Stone- . 
wall." She sailed to Havana, but the war 
was then over. She was afterwards sold to 
the Japanese Government. 

When the "Stonewall" ran out the Com- 
modore was on shore at the residence of our 
Minister, Mr. Harvey. In the afternoon we 
got under weigh to change our anchorage 
nearer to the city. As we swung around Fort 
Belum opened fire upon us. At the time I was 
the only officer on the quarter-deck, except the 

[15] 



104 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

oflBcer of the deck and the Commodore and our 
old Signal Quartermaster, who half-masted the 
ensign to show we did not intend to go ro sea. 
He, with the Commodore and I, were on the 
port side aft. I remember the shots coming very 
near us. I ducked, and the Commodore did not. 
We were struck several times, once in the stern- 
post ; our funnels also were struck, and one 
shot came very near shelling some sailors 
amidships. 

Later a Portugese officer came off to 
apologize, but the Commodore was very angry 
and he went awaj' badly snubbed. The author- 
ities also apologized and saluted our flag 
from Belum Castle, and, strange to say, they 
hauled down their flag and, substituting "Old 
Glory, fired twenty-one guns, which we 
returned, running up the Portugese flag to 
the fore. 

We remained for some weeks in Spanish 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS. I05 

waters, and while there obtained news of the 
surrender of Lee to Grant, April 9th, and the 
consequent end of the war. 

While on shore leave some of us visited 
Lisbon, thence we went up to Seville, where I 
attended a bull-fight. It was a brutal show. 
We also visited Cadiz. We were charmed with 
the beauty of the country and enjoyed the inter- 
esting historical features of these old Spanish 
cities. We also visited Funchal, Madeira, where 
we were from April 28th to May 4th. May 
nth, as we lay at Lisbon in company with the 
" Kearsarge," there entered the harbor a fleet of 
Russian ships, carrying the body of the Czar- 
evitch, who had died at Nice. One morning our 
ofl&cers, as well as those of the English frigate 
" Defiance," lying in the harbor, were invited 
to the Russian flag-ship to attend the funeral 
services, which were being held daily. We 
met the King of Portugal and his brother 



I06 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

and suite. The corpse was placed between 
decks on a grand platform over six feet high 
covered with a heavy pall of stuff worked with 
gold. During the service each person was given 
a large wax candle, and I remember I was in a 
terrible way — on my knees with a lighted can- 
dle in one hand, and my plumed hat in the 
other, when my nose began to itch and I had 
no wa}^ of easing it. I could not drop the can- 
dle or my hat. But after a time it ended, as 
all things do, and I scratched my nose and was 
happy. A few days later we followed the 
Russian fleet north intending to go with them 
to Kronstadt. But our ship was so slow by 
steam, that we often had to signal " Hot 
journals ; " and finally left them in the Eng- 
lish Channel and reached Plymouth May 
17th. 

On May 20th, we were at Flushing. After 
which we cruised in the English Channel for 



WITH THE MARINE CORPS. I07 

some weeks, returning again to Flushing July 
1st. Here we found Admiral Goldsborough 
and fleet. We left Flushing July lOth and came 
to anchor in Queenstown harbor July 1 1 th. We 
visited Blarney Castle, and received much atten- 
tion from the Cork ofi&cials. August 15 th we 
went up the Channel and I paid a visit to 
London. 

August 24th we reached Lisbon, whence 
we sailed for home on the 28th, and arrived at 
Boston September 21st, 1865 — our long cruise 
of one year and iive months at last ended.* 



*Lieutenant Feet's experience in the service after this was 
uneventful. He was ordered to the Marine Barracks at Bos- 
ton, September 29th, 1865; to Philadelphia, November 0th, 
1865 ; to Brooklyn, February 7th, 1866 ; to Mare Island, Cal., 
October 15th, 1867, where he remained until he resigned, 
August 28th, 1869. 

His only present association with these eight and one-half 
years in the United States service lies in his membership in 
the " L,oyal Legion," and in the "United Service Club ; " and 
in the rebel bullet in his shoulder. — R. T. 



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